Issue 009, May 1st, 2012...In this issue

---Remembering Dick Clark...An extended article.

---What's Record Store Days?

---Updates on All About Vinyl Records

I remember Dick Clark and American Bandstand.

The eternal teenager, Dick Clark died April 18, 2012 at the age of 82. He said it best..."Music is the soundtrack of your life." He changed the way teenagers listened to music when he took over a show called Bandstand and changed the name to "American Bandstand."

I seen it live when American Bandstand provided the first national exposure for Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Chubby Checker, among others.

I watched it live as Dion and The Belmonts sang "Teenager in Love" from the Bandstand balcony, Fabian sang "Turn me Loose," Frankie Avalon danced down the isle in his white suede shoes singing "Dee Dee Dinah," and the other teen idols, including Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vee, Paul Anka, and Neil Sedaka, all made their first appearances on American Bandstand.

1957 was definitely a cool time to be a first year teenager.

Dick Clark made the lady an overnight Star.

The one singer that said Dick Clark made her a star overnight was Connie Francis. She said she had put out a bunch of records and they were going nowhere and her record label was ready to drop her.

Connie said "Then, on January 1, 1958, at 4pm I rushed over to my 18-inch Motorola and turned on American Bandstand, like everyone else. And I heard him say, "There's a new girl singer headed straight for the No. 1 spot", and I thought, Good for her.

"Then he played Who's Sorry Now,... and I knew in five seconds flat I was a star."

The show became so popular that if Clark played a new song, it usually became a hit. What really made him a success was his rapport with teens and his non-threatening image to their parents.

These are just a few memories I have of Dick Clark and American Bandstand. As we get older those memories begin to fade as do the people who provided those memories.

Ever heard of Record Store Days?

This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music, including special vinyl releases and various promotional products for this one particular day.

Record Store day is the third Saturday every April.

Artists make special appearances in hundreds of record stores around the country and across the globe. Pretty cool idea that started in 2007 and officially kicked off at "Rasputin Music" in San Francisco in 2008.

Lots of stuff happening in each store from live performances, cook-outs, meet & greets with artists and dj's spinning records.

So let me see if I can remember to remind you of this in April of next year instead of May when it has already come and gone:)

What's happening at All About Vinyl Records?

A few new favorites since my last newsletter.

This John Denver Country Roads page has been quite popular as are nearly all of the pages listed under "Oldies Music Lyrics."